


Reginald's Purge

by CakeIvy



Category: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, The Purge (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Cuddling, Fluff, Hatred, Kind of Stockholm Syndrome, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-11-07 07:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11053935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CakeIvy/pseuds/CakeIvy
Summary: After three innocent citizens of the city were kidnapped by the purgers, they were brought through many startling and risky obstacles until only one hostage remained. Reginald. However, at the first sign of freedom, he's placed into the hold of captivity once again by his greatest fear. Although the percentage of his life's end was high, Reginald soon came to the realization that his captor isn't as bad of a guy that he acted to be..





	1. The Kidnapping

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of The Purge in Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida. I don't have a good description for the notes to explain more about this story so I'll just post more chapters xD If I could say something about this in a nutshell, it's a hostage and a purger falling for each other :/

"Grab three people! We need to rally them up for the auction! Unless you want to be auctioned off instead, I highly suggest you follow those orders!" 

A strong voice bellowed out into the megaphone as a rusty white box truck slowly strolled into the Main Street of New York. Random people scattered away from the old vehicle in terror after it got closer to the larger, more curious crowd. Moments later, the truck suddenly jerked to stop, followed by a short agonizing squeak. The mob of people impatiently waited for someone to exit since the front windows were extremely dimmed and kept anyone from seeing whoever was driving the truck. 

"What is this?" A female voice questioned a couple seconds later. 

"Is this some kind of joke?" Another voice then blurted out in the depths of the crowd. 

Before anyone else could start a whole commotion of questions and conversations, a younger man stepped out from behind the truck and walked towards the mob. However, that triggered terrified screams from each and every person there. 

They ran. 

This man wasn't too surprised by the immediate action that everyone made. His tan hat had the American flag stitched on the front, which didn't make him too suspicious. But it was what he held mortified them. 

The man carried a rifle in his hands, with the black sling tightly wrapped over his left shoulder. He wore odd clothing; bronze goggles that covered his eyes, an extended white smock that was drenched in blood, a black long-sleeves shirt, a belt holding several cartilages, and black and grey pinstriped pants. 

All the big screens powered off and glitched to an older woman's face. Her silvery eyes had dark rings underneath them and the bright blue makeup made her appearance pop out more. Her hair was a light blonde and curled with a couple lighter streaks in the hairs. The woman spoke and the voice boomed out through the entire city. 

''This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning until 7 a.m., when The Purge concludes. Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn. May God be with you all."

The city went quiet. The screens, and each one after that, buzzed loudly and went completely black. All the power was cut in the area. The only sound now were the startled murmurs of the remaining people and the purring motor of the truck. 

'WUUUUUUUUU! WUUUUUUUUU!'

Once the siren broke loose in the distance and echoed out in their area, the same man raised the rifle up into the air and pulled the trigger. The piercing 'Boom!' terrified the rest of the standing men and women and prompted them to bolt off for safety and protection. 

Two more 'purgers' excited the front door with deadly weapons of their own. One was a man dressed in a white shirt with a tunic of blackness placed over it. A white hood laid over his disguised face that symbolized a creepy dark green skull. The next one looked similar to a gangster with his short slick ebony hair, black sports shirt, studded leather jacket, and the many shiny chains that hung from his belt. His face was covered by a perfectly painted charcoal mask, along with his chin and neck being designed to look a little like Finn Balór. 

An additional purger opened the tail gate of the truck and took a rifle of his own out. He jumped off the rear and jogged over the small group, cocking the rifle as he did so. This purger was not too designed like the other two. He wore a grey hoodie, jeans, and a white circular mask that had the word 'God' poorly written on the top. 

"Monster, Neon Grazer," the man gestured with his rifle. "Find two good enough people." 

Monster– the gangster– and Neon Grazer– the hooded skull– obliged and traveled to the rear end of the truck to fetch their assigned motorcycles. 

"Dog, go with them. Keep the door steady as we bring in our guests." He ordered the last purger before he speed walked straight ahead to the hidden groups. The gun was slanted over his shoulder while his finger still laid carefully on the trigger. 

Nobody was in sight. All that resumed was silence and the fading sirens that began the purging. Behind him was the starting engines of both motorcycles. This would have been a clever place to hunt, cities were large enough and anyone could of hid anywhere. It was only a matter of time when three innocent non-purgers would be found. 

"Hey, David!" Monster's muffled scream was heard near the back of him. The man– such as David– glanced over his shoulder to see Monster and Neon Grazer speeding towards him. 

The motorcycles slowed when David's presence came into a greater view and finally stopped beside him. Monster placed his foot down on the blacktop and looked at him through the mask's eye holes. "Watch yourself, K? I know most of these people here are too scared to go at ya, but some are smart."

Monster pressed his foot back on the gas and rolled past him, followed by Neon Grazer soon after. One went down the left alleyway and the other sped to the right, disappearing behind the tall buildings. David brought his rifle down and placed his hand on the pumping handle, walking in a vertical direction to the more larger buildings. 

"Come out, come out, little birds~" David whispered in a singsong voice. He cocked the rifle and held it up straight. "I'm the hunter and you’re the deers.. Ignore what you see, and make what you hear~"

There was a loud enough crash after his little rhythm scheme and he lowered down as a defense; finger now on the trigger. It was like the lid of a trash can crashed down. 

"Who's there?! Show yourself! Or I'm coming back there!" David forcefully demanded. 

There was no reply or movement at first. Maybe he was just imagining things. The nervousness of being unable to get three people in time for the auction and the fear of possibly being shot was kicking into his senses. 

"Alright, I'm not messing around! Come out! I have the right to-"

David shut his mouth when a young black woman ran out out the same alley way that Neon Grazer drove into. She wore a thin white jacket, a sage shirt, and long peach-colored pants. Not to mention, her dark brown curls were frizzed like she had been running from something for quite a while. 

On cue, Neon Grazer rapidly raced towards the lady and with one swift of his hand, he grabbed her by the hair. He quickly stomped on the brakes so she wouldn't be dragged along and moved off the bike. 

The woman screamed and David winced, backing up. Though his attention was starting up on the girl, it instantly turned to a second lady sprinting out of Monster's alleyway. She was wearing a red dress– perhaps for a party of some sort–, light tan leggings, a red beaded necklace, and magenta gloves. Her hair was more of an orange than brown like the other lady's and extra knotted up.

Monster sped at her and repeated the same actions of Neon Grazer; swiftly snatching her hair when he was in a good proximity. The brake was hit and the motorcycle skidded to a stop. 

"Let me go!" The woman screamed, fighting against Monster's painful grip. With motions like that, her hair was on the verge of being teared out. 

"Andrea, Sasha! Let them go!!" A cracky male voice screamed out behind the whole group. It was near. 

David twirled around, positioning his gun to shoot. However, he was unable to pull down the trigger in time and he held out his arm instead to ready the close impact. The man's torso collided into David's firm arm and was yanked back into a stable hold. 

"No you don't!" David growled, throwing the man to the ground. He thrusted his foot onto his back and started to apply pressure, earning a pained cry from him. "Stay down.."

The most noticeable feature was the blood. A red substance already ran down the side of his head and he figured that a purger attacked him a while ago. His white hair was stained pink and it seemed he had it styled like a messy white and black quiff. His grey and azure hoodie covered most of the cuts that lined his white t-shirt.

"Reginald!" Sasha– the black woman– hollered out and struggled to release herself from Neon Grazer's hold. She gradually found out it was impossible to do so without most of her locks being torn from her scalp. "P-Please, you're going to hurt him!"

"Who cares.." David snarled and grabbed the back of 'Reginald's' neck. He yanked him up and securely wrapped his arm across the front of his throat. "Get those two in the truck." He ordered Monster and Neon Grazer. 

Monster and Neon obeyed his word and hauled Sasha and Andrea with them, leaving the motorcycles behind. David waited a few seconds, scanning the area to shortly accept the fact that no one else was revealing themselves. He jerked one of Reginald's arms back, wrenched him to the right, and shoved him forward.

"Listen, dude, it doesn't have to be like this, you can get someone else! We won't tell anyone.." Reginald desperately begged, peeking over his shoulder.

"And you never will." David replied, pulling his arm back further from the joint. 

Reginald yelled out and refused to move, afraid that his arm would become dislocated at the slightest flinch. He gritted his teeth when the man continued. 

"S-Stop, stop! You're gonna break my arm!" Reginald shrieked. He desired to get away from him now. At once, he sprung in the opposite direction and felt the tightness on his arm relieve. Freedom! 

The first option in Reginald's mind was to run. He dashed away and moved his strained arm right away, gingerly freeing the discomfort from the muscles. He knew there was one alleyway that reached the other side, there had to be. It was the only way to escape the purge. 

"Run, Eddies, run, run!" Reginald encouraged himself as he got closer to one entrance of an alleyway. "Keep go- Agh!"

Reginald was so close. A couple more feet and he would be between those two buildings. It was when he felt the stock of a rifle be jammed into the side of his head that caused him to scream out and collapse to the ground. The collision into the hard floor was bad, yet the pain was worse. It was nothing like he's felt before in his life. 

The feeling of a warm substance rolled down the side of his head and onto the floor. It was a dark crimson, indicating that his skin was punctured by the hit. His eyes focused above at the shadowy figure of David with the same rifle still in his hands. His face showed pure anger and disappointment. 

"You know, if we didn't need three people for this auction, I would definitely shoot you first.. But fortunately for you, we need that amount. Now let's go!" David snapped. He grasped his fluffed hair and tugged, making the younger man abruptly sit up at the irritating feeling. The pull on his hair even made the fresh cut throb and sting. 

"J-Just give me a second here, you just hit with me with that stupid gun!" Reginald cried at him. 

David frowned. "One, this is a rifle, you dumbass.. And two, move!" He lifted him to his feet and rammed his back with his hands. Reginald stumbled straight ahead and nearly fell to his hands and knees again. 

"You fall, there will be another beating with my friendly rifle. This time it'll be to the forehead." David threatened callously. 

Reginald bit his lip and steadied his legs, limping nervously to the truck. The front was only seen but he couldn't imagine what was in back. Weaponry, rotting bodies, terrifying purge masks.. It was unnerving. 

When he circled to the back, Monster and Neon Grazer looked to be awaiting his arrival. Dog– or 'God'– now carried a machete and when he spotted the white haired boy, he pointed the sharp tip at him. 

"Looks like our kidnapper snatched some blood for himself.. He should share." Dog teased, bringing his machete down and scrapping it against the bumper. 

"W-What?.." Reginald stammered. 

"I was talking to them, non-purger!" He aimed his machete at Monster and Neon Grazer. "And for you-" He then pointed it at Reginald again. "-get in the damn truck."

Reginald didn't protest. He made his way past the two purgers and climbed in, seeing Andrea and Sasha cowering in the back. He released a deep sigh, knowing that he could no longer turn back and sat down without a word. 

Dog cocked his head at him and grabbed the handle, ready to pull the door down. "Looks like the boy is the shy guy here.." He joked. 

"Or that one non-purger who believes if he's such a good boy.." Monster purred, poking his head into the opening. ".. That he'll be set free. Well that's a no go.. This is for America!"

Monster placed his hand on the handle that neighbored Dog's and threw the door down. Only now was complete darkness and the cackling of success from the purgers.


	2. The Auction

Sasha, Andrea, and Reginald felt the truck slow down and fully stop. Outside, it sounded like there was hundreds of people, cheering for 'America' and how much they will pay for their new playmates. Pay? This wasn't a good sign. The three recalled one of the purgers mentioning an auction, however they thought it was a sick joke to terrify them. 

Andrea flipped on her knees and peeked into the sliding window that separated them from the front seats. It was all red, orange, and yellow. Fire. The silhouettes of crowds fading into the bright colors and the outline of a tall stage came into view. 

"They brought us somewhere.." Andrea murmured. "I see fire.. People, a stage.. A bus."

"A bus?" Reginald crawled over and knelt next to her, peering out the same misty window. The vivid colors reflected off his pale skin and caused him to continually blink and squint.

At first, he barely spotted anything that Andrea spoke of. But once his sight adjusted to the brightness of the fiery glows, the shapes formed into recognizable figures. 

"Now you see it?" Andrea asked. 

"Yea.. How is this part of the city?... I can't remember this being here!" Reginald replied in shock. He lifted his arm up and tried to wipe away the smoky prints on the window with his grey sleeve. Nothing disappeared and it might've just been on the outside of the glass. 

"Because it's not.." Sasha interrupted their conversation. Andrea and Reginald looked back at her, seeing that her hands were wrapped around her legs and pressed up to her chest. "They put it there before it began.. P-People maybe thought it was part of a concert… but no.. Each one was killed when the sirens went off." Sasha turned her sorrowed face towards the two. "..Right?.."

Reginald pursed his lips and brushed his messy bangs from his eyes. "Sasha.." He began. 

"Hello!" A distant voice rung outside of the truck. It was a woman's tone, similar to the one back in the city. The chatter quieted and allowed the lady to speak clearly. "Ladies and gentlemen. Allow me, once again, to welcome you to this year's Annual Purge!"

The hurrahs resumed and more applauding was heard that time. Inside the box truck, Andrea, Sasha, and Reginald made out the small sound of clicking and squeaky turning. The noise was faint in the uproar but the three easily caught on. The door was being unlocked. 

"We'll run." Andrea suggested softly. "Once they open the door, we can run! Out of the city, away from them.. We could get to the police!"

"No!" Sasha and Reginald shouted out in unison. 

"Why?" Andrea snapped back. 

"Didn't you listen to the broadcast? There's no medical systems active until tomorrow morning. If we escaped, they would find us sooner or later, we'd we screwed! The best decision is to stay put." Sasha explained. 

"Sasha's right, Andrea.. there's no turning back.." Reginald added, sliding back down to the truck's metal flooring.

Andrea stared at him for a moment before she scooted her legs back and lowered her head to her knees. She felt the slight burning in her eyes, then the wave of crystalline tears flowing down her cheeks. No bursts of cries or whimpers, only the tears were present. 

Reginald and Sasha simply ignored her miserable actions and relaxed themselves for the last time. It wasn't long until the pair of purgers got the door open and took them away for auction, as if they were magnificent objects.. Or soon-to-be tortured servants. 

"The founding fathers of America would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us for this year's Annual Purge. And we would like to thank the founding fathers of America for allowing us this year to cleanse our souls!.. And purge!"

The doors to the truck slammed opened and the blinding lights of the fire's flares beamed onto the three hostages. One of the purgers– Monster– stepped in and roughly snatched Andrea by her hair, beginning to drag her out of the vehicle. 

Neon Grazer entered next to Monster and leaned over to grab Reginald. He obeyed and straightened himself up in an upright position. The purger gripped the back of his grey jacket and yanked him up, immediately enveloping his waist with his arm. 

Monster and Neon Grazer heaved their temporary possessions over the side of the truck and walked over to the back of the tall stage. Both disappeared behind the corroded school bus that assisted in holding the platform up. 

David tightened the sling of his rifle over his chest and moved into the truck's interior. Sasha was obviously the last one left of the remaining hostages. Not wanting to have her hair nearly torn out again, she stood and silently permitted the kidnapper to lead her to the auctioneer's stage. 

Once David caught up with Monster and Neon Grazer, they came across the stage's ladder. It leveled up to the flat surface where the older woman stood, still speaking with the eager audience. The purgers moved the hostages forward, gesturing them to travel up the shaky ladder. 

"Let me take this opportunity to remind you since the NFFA, our primary has been drastically reduced. Murder is over twelve percent and received the unemployment rate at an all time low. And that is because the fine, outstanding citizens of our country like yourselves have participated, along with us– the dedicated citizens– with the Annual Purge!"

The hostages heard her voice boom over the microphone, terrifying them with the highest amount of adrenaline. Each one felt the purgers shove their backs harder, prompting one by one to anxiously start climbing the ladder. 

"Are you ready to hunt?" The woman yelled out the crowds. 

Everyone screamed out in excitement. Sasha, Andrea, and Reginald finally got to the top, where they cautiously waited for any instructions. David dashed up the ladder and steadied next to the three tense captives. 

"Alright, non-purgers.." David growled and gripped Andrea's shoulder and positioned her to the left. "You go to the left corner.. don't fall off the edge, hold onto the handles without breaking them." He thrusted her forward. 

Monster followed her and held her in a stable hold. David grabbed the top of Reginald's arms next, though he didn't direct him to a certain side. "Go you up front, right by the auctioneer. Don't look them right in the eyes or one of them will shoot you.. that's not a joke, either." He pushed him next to the auctioneer. 

Neon Grazer came up to him from behind and held his jacket, securing him in one place. 

Finally, David clutched Sasha's white jacket and tugged her to the right. "You're the most obedient one here, y'know? I saved you for last.." He pushed her a little. "The weakest side of the stage.." 

Sasha was shoved to the right of the stage. She stumbled and luckily stopped her feet from accidentally tripping her by grabbing onto the handrails. However, David was, indeed, telling the truth. The rails were about to break under her touch and she threw her hands off straightaway. 

"Are you ready to bid?" The woman shouted and waited for the crowd to cheer again. "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to purge?"

The mob howled out. 

The woman turned to the three hostages with a devilish smirk on her face. She glared at Sasha and sent a small glance towards Reginald, fiendishly watching him shiver under her look. 

"We've got quite an impressive lot up here.." She growled amusingly. "Two lovely ladies and one pathetic young man to start the evening. Now I know some of you may want your share.. But let me remind you-" She turned to the audience. "-the sooner you get into that arena, the sooner you can hunt. And if your hunting goes well, you can always come back and bid again."

The woman walked back to the middle. "Now those of you that have been reselected to purge may bid on our items this evening. Be certain you have cash in hand. I know we have a lot of groups that have gathered together in the office, so in the name of blood, make sure you have your representatives and cash ready.." 

When she circled back to signal the purgers to ready the three hostages, she noticed Reginald's injures in total perspective now. She wasn't that surprised though. Most of them did put up the nastiest of fights on the purging streets. 

"And- ooh, oh my.. You look like you've put up quite a fight, hun.." She motioned her microphone to the deep cut on the side of Reginald's head. "Guess you have a bit of fire in you.. You'll be a good runner in the arena!"

Reginald clenched his teeth and fought Neon Grazer's grip, struggling to get his hands off of his arms. The woman noticed his and snapped her fingers, giving the purger a sign to hold him. 

Neon Grazer compressed his arms around him, keeping his arms and waist from moving any longer.

"Now, there's no need to fight it. Your fate has been sealed, you will be purged!" The woman informed him and went back to the insane citizens. "It's only a matter of by whom."

She flicked her wrist and held out her hand to the people. "Now let's start the main stream! We'll start at $240,000!"

"$300,000!" One purger from below yelled out. 

"No, $400,000!"

"I heard $400,000, who said it?" The woman peeked up, pointing to some of the purgers curiously. 

A different purger crashed into the other one and raised his hand to get the woman's attention. "$700,000!"

"I hear $700,000, that's a big deal!" The woman joked, pointing to the same purger who hollered the four hundredth deal. "Going once.. Going twice?"

No one replied higher than $700,000. Not one peep came from them. When she was about to yell out 'Sold!', someone stepped out from the many purgers who were angrily thinking of a solution to the price. He was wearing a wolf mask that was splattered in several shades of blood and he carried a sharp cleaver with him. His clothing was dark, which made it difficult to see any more spots of blood there. 

"$900,000." He spoke loud enough for the woman to hear. 

Andrea's eyes widened at the price. Even Reginald would have jumped directly off the platform if Neon Grazer lightened his grip a tad bit. Not from the overly priced bid, but by the appearance of this purger. 

Sasha only scowled and stepped back, feeling David's fabricated chest come in contact with her back. "He's a fool.. that's a deal breaker but what would he get out of us?" She whispered. 

David leaned his face down to her ear. "You're correct about one thing, lady. No one has ever bid that much for some hostages like yourselves. Odd; just might be desperate."

"$900,000! Going once.. Going twice.. Sold!" The woman yelled, tapping the top of the microphone on her hand to fake an applaud. "Well then, it's done! We will all meet at the arena.. Be there, and we purge!"

The crowd screamed excitedly at her words. The woman rotated her head to have a glimpse at the hostages and purgers that stood on the stage. At the nod of her head, Monster, Neon Grazer, and David seized their own non-purger and carried them to the ladder. 

"Let me go! I'm not going to any arena, you don't have the right to do this!" Andrea bellowed at them as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "Let go of me!"

"We have every right to do this.." Monster muttered under his mask, forcefully retaining her. Both were nearing the edge to the ladder. 

"By who?" Reginald barked behind them, slanting further away from Neon Grazer's hold. He wasn't there to eavesdrop, instead he wanted to make fun of their 'opinion' on the situation. He stuck out his tongue and attempted to create silly shapes with his hands. "Oooh, we listen to our founding fathers of America! We love them! Surely they want us to kiiiill~"

Monster raised a puzzled eyebrow below his mask. Neon Grazer and David exchanged looks of confusion but swapped their attention to Sasha when she let out an amused snickered. 

"S-Sorry, sorry.." Sasha apologized, dropping her head to prevent any eyesight with the men and still grinned like a madman. 

"Let's get moving." David mumbled. "Monster, you get that lady down from the stage first. Then you Neon, I'll go last."

Monster nodded, agreeing to the plan and gruffly pushed Andrea to the metal ledge. He situated his hands on her shoulders again and locked the girl in place. He whispered to her. "I'm gonna throw you off. There are people waiting for you down there, don't worry. It'll be like a trust fall. Don't close your eyes though, it makes the pain worse." There was a lack of care in his voice. 

Andrea's breath hitched when she heard him mention pain and quickly tugged away from his hold. "Wait, what do you-"

"Happy landing!" Monster laughed and forced Andrea off the stage by elbowing her right above the collarbone. 

There was no more sight of her when she descended off the wobbly platform. Her screams seemed to last the whole time until the unsettling noise disappeared from everyone's ears.


	3. The Escapees

"What have we done.." Reginald voice stammered in the darkness. Tears dripped down his bloodied cheeks and onto the metal flooring, leaving a liquid light pink stain every drop. The bumpiness through the streets made his despair worsen and cause each memory of regret hit him all over again. 

It was night now. The timer on the radio read 10:34 PM; that's what they saw through the misty window anyway. Nine more hours till The Purge ended but the three could've been good as dead by then. 

"We've done nothing.." Sasha soon replied in a hushed tone. She gently rubbed her sore wrist and leaned more into the wall. "I ran first, it was my fault. You followed suit.. And Reginald, you just wanted to save us.." Sasha smiled warmly, comforting Ripley and Andrea a little from the pain. 

Everyone stayed like that for a couple seconds before Andrea inhaled the air around them and exhaled nervously. Reginald noticed her strain and placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing assuringly. 

"We'll get through this.." Andrea said softly, squeezing back. "Together.. We die as one or we survive as one. We have-"

The three's conversation was stalled by a violent bang on the front window of the truck. It prompted them to flinch in surprise and scoot away from the glass. The black glove that pounded the clear surface slowly slid away from sight and the hostages figured they brought the purgers to the limit. None of them felt sympathy for the non-purgers or the prisoners and hearing their warmhearted exchanges made them sick. 

"Oh, shut up with your 'We Are One' crap, you three will be separated anyway. The arena will be the last place you'll ever see one another, and then you're gonna be shot by your bidder.. Or kept for torturous tendencies.." The purger explained through the other side; his voice slightly dulled by the barrier between them. "You already said your goodbyes so.. What's the point now?"

All three heard the man cackle as the truck slowed on the empty street. The vehicle came to a stop in front of a row of deserted apartments and the two purgers prepared to depart from the main doors. Each hostage scattered up to the small window, attentively watching both purgers leave the truck. 

"What are you doing?" Andrea stuttered, making one of the purgers turn to look at the girl. "W-We can't be here now, I thought it would be longer!"

"Oh we're not here yet!" The purger replied and circled to the side of the truck. His voice was muted until he reached the exterior. "We have to gather a couple things, then off to the bidder's home we go!"

The two doors jingled under someone's touch and the sound of it unlocking grabbed the three's attention. The shadow of the tiny lock disappeared from their view, indicating that the two doors had the capability of being opened by a single tap. 

Reginald gasped when the sign of freedom came into his eyes. He stumbled forward onto his knees and cautiously crawled to the doors, readying himself to run ahead when the doors widened. However, Sasha quickly halted him by stretching her arm out in front of his face. 

"No Reg." Sasha demanded, pushing him back with her elbow. "They'll shoot one of us! Or hurt us. We have to stay put, understand?"

Reginald stared into her darkened eyes and slowly nodded afterwards. He wriggled back and sat right against the wall again; now impatient about the doors. 

Andrea wasn't sitting close to him any longer. She was focusing through the same dusty window, staring at something in particular. Sasha didn't seem to notice her stance immediately and Reginald occasionally sent her a couple glances of curiosity. 

When Reginald turned away to look over to Sasha's form, his ears caught onto a hushed noise. The sound transpired near Andrea's figure. He turned his head to check if she was actually creating the vague noise and once he looked in her direction, Reginald saw that she was facing him with a clever smirk. 

This can't be good.. Reginald thought to himself. Andrea pressed her finger up to her lips and waved him to come over to the window. Obeyed her gesture, he slid across to the front wall and leveled up to her height. 

"What is it?" Reginald questioned, scanning the leftover contents that laid lifelessly on the seats and the dashboard. 

"I have an idea." Andrea stated.

Sasha perked at her words and frowned at the lady with uncertainty. First, Andrea wished to run when the purgers opened the doors for the auction. They would've died attempting something as risky as that. Now something brand new..

"I don't think we can handle another one of your ideas, Andrea." Sasha blurted out and traveled next to Andrea's side. "We could get hurt."

Andrea shook her head and tapped on the window, pointing down to one of the seats. Sasha half-lidded her eyes and straightened her body to peer into the separated side. Her eyes moved, struggling to find whatever she was aiming at. 

"Do you see it?" Andrea asked. 

"No.. I don't even know- wait." Sasha stopped in the middle of her sentence when a certain object stood out the most. It was laying motionless on the far right of the comfortable seat; its dark color barely hiding on the grey fabric. 

A pocket knife. 

"It's a knife.. O-oh my gosh." Sasha huffed out in relief. She understood Andrea's plan now and it could possibly release them from the purger's hold. "I can't believe you saw that.. We can get out of here!"

Andrea grinned. "Exactly! I just have to figure out how to get this open.. I could stab one of them." 

"That one with the machete! He's always blocking the entrance." Sasha suggested. 

"No, that kidnapper guy!" Reginald said, blocking Sasha off. 

"I'll make my own decision if you two don't shut it! They're gonna hear us." Andrea snapped, whirling back to the small tough window and wrapped her fingers around the handle. "Now I have to get this open or there won't be a stabbing."

Andrea used her strength to shove the handle upwards, letting out a pained whine while she did so. The window felt like it was severely jammed into the lock, or the purgers did that to stop the hostages from doing something suspicious. That didn't stop her and she continued to push it up. 

Reginald connected his hands underneath the handle with Andrea's and thrusted his arms. The two felt the frame quiver and start to lift up from the bottom. 

"We got it." Reginald said through his gritted teeth. "It's almost there!"

At one more jolt of the muscles, the window bolted up to the top at a sudden speed. Andrea pumped her fist and reached her arm in, feeling for the handle to the pocket knife. 

Only her fingertips were meeting the soft fabric of the seat at first before the feeling of the leathery handle grazed her skin. "I think I got it." Andrea notified them, stretching out her arm more. She felt her shoulder hit the top of the frame and luckily, her fingers intertwined with the handle. 

"You think?" Reginald raised an eyebrow. 

"No, I got it." Andrea replied with a huff and jumped back from the window. The pocket knife laid in the palm of her right hand and all three inspected it. "It looks like it's in good condition.."

"Well," Reginald took the pocket knife from her and flipped the knife out, examining its shininess. "doesn't have any blood on it, that's good. It's shiny too! I like it.."

Andrea, unfortunately for Reginald, removed it out of his possession and put the knife back down. "It's not ours to keep though.. We use it and we run. There's other weapons out there that would be so much better than a small pocket knife; guns, swords, machines!"

"Were finished boys!" The distant voice of the green masked purger stopped their conversation and cautiously listened. They could have swore that several footsteps were getting closer to the truck too. "Open up the back! Dog, David, make sure those three stay put. Knock em' out if one tries to escape."

"Oh, don't knock them out." David's voice told Neon. "Be nice, we want them to like us.." He added sarcastically. 

"Yea right.." Andrea whispered, clutching the black handle. 

"Did you choose yet?" Reginald asked

"No."

"What do you mean no? You should-"

"Yes!"

"Wait a minute!" Reginald reached for her when Andrea suddenly stood up and went for the door.

"Andrea, stop!" Sasha screamed, standing up. 

Both metal doors widened and just like a wild jaguar, Andrea pounced towards the nearest purger and flipped the knife out. She felt the knife jab into some type of clothing and tear into the sharp edge before it toughened when it hit the skin. Opening her eyes, she noticed the knife cut into David's shoulder. 

Yet, by the plain expression he made, David looked to be unharmed. 

"Run.." Andrea breathed out. She blinked and broke out of her stunned state, turning back to look at Sasha and Reginald. "Run!" 

David smacked the pocket knife off his shoulder and grabbed Andrea's arms, twisting them back to hold her tightly. He nodded to Reginald and Sasha, mentally demanding Monster and Neon Grazer to stop them before they ran from the truck. 

Monster grabbed Sasha and Neon Grazer locked onto Reginald, pushing them down so their stomachs were in contact with the truck floor. David shoved Andrea forward and tossed her into the truck once again, not caring for the little winces she let out. 

"Don't do that ever again.." David snarled, rubbing the area where he was jabbed with the the knife. He walked over to the one door and brought it to the other side to shut it. The pocket knife was kicked away from anyone's reach while he got closer to the rear. "In fact, you'll never have the time to." And the doors were closed.


	4. The Sacrifice

Andrea, Sasha, and Reginald were all put to their knees, forced to stay still and completely quiet on the stiff grounds. The area was similar to a dying grassland; no wind and hardly any life. A perfect place to do the assassination of the three hostages. Although the bidder would’ve been furious to hear his prizes have been trashed, he might respect the fact that no one has the authority to hurt a purger in the council. 

Unfortunately for everyone else, they’d have to wait another year to get their own ‘servants.’ What was even more pitiful is that no hostage has been executed before being brought to the bidder’s home until now. There was no way to get out of it. No escaping this time.

The purgers—Monster, David, Neon Grazer, Dog, and a couple more—stood at the entrance of an abandoned vandalized building, watching the entire scene go down. None of them were expecting any of them to walk out alive of this. A gunshot wound to the head could surely kill someone in an instant, especially in the right spot.

A disguised man, dressed in studded clothing and a vivid green ghost mask, strolled up to the front of the prisoners, calmly placing his gloved hands behind his back. A trio of purgers followed soon after and separated to choose their captivated individuals. 

Reginald felt the muzzle of a pistol press up against the back of his head. In the corner of his eye, he spotted two other men put guns up to Sasha and Andrea’s crown.

“Alright, now, listen up!” The same masked man shouted out, purposely startling the hostages. This only made the suspense and fear worse when he raised his hand up towards Andrea first. “We are here, for a simple killing.. This young woman injured one of our recruits and fortunately, no blood was spilled. However, something like this can’t be left without a consequence.. This is our nation, our purge! And we end these objections today!” 

“What do you mean?.. What are you talking about?!” Sasha screamed and struggled to break free of her captor’s hold. 

Snapping his fingers, the voodoo-like purger behind Andrea cocked the gun. Her eyes widened. 

“3..”

“You can’t do this!” The girl shrieked.

“2..”

“P-Please.. Please, I didn’t mean it, they weren’t part of it! It was just me, let them go, I swear!!”

“1..”

“No, no! **DON’T**!” 

The purger instantly pressed his finger on the trigger unhesitatingly and the bullet was shot through Andrea’s head. One loud bang echoed within the grasslands and the body of the female dropped lifelessly with a “Thump.” The graphic scene wasn’t too difficult to see either, even at the farthest distance. Clumps of brain matter and blood poured out of her gashed open head. Cold eyes gazed at nothing and more crimson liquids leaked from her open mouth. 

Sasha felt steaming pressure cloud up into her wide eyes and she finally stared down at the grass. Reginald already had tears streaming down his pale cheeks after seeing his closest companion murdered in cold blood. Nothing seemed to help anymore, they were all surely going to die that day. 

The second purger, clothed in several ‘Day of the Dead’ designs, prepared for the signal. He loaded the pistol and pointed it to the back of Sasha’s head, readying his finger on the trigger. The woman merely laid her hand on Reginald’s in a comforting way and waited.

Monster was the first who noticed that gesture in those fields. Oddly enough, he sensed some type of regret in his chest. Not from every purge that occurred in that city but from the fact that the other two hostages didn’t deserve to die at a bullet. He fixed the latch on his belt and scanned the gazing purgers next to him, unimpressed.

“Y’know..” Monster began. “Don’t ya thi-”

“-nk they don’t deserve this?” David's voice perked in with his, making it sound simultaneous. The question grabbed the undivided attention from the one’s around them. “.. Wait a minute..”

“Yo, what are you saying?” Neon Grazer glared from David to Monster. “Don’t tell what I think I think you’re sayin’. Cause now I’m kinda afraid to hear it.”

Monster frowned under his mask and David stepped towards him. “You must understand, the girl is the only one who hurt me with that knife. No one else. We bring them to the bidder’s home and that’s it, we don’t actually have to kill them..”

“True that..” Monster snorted.

A girl with a glossy doll mask came up to them and twirled her kitchen knife in her left hand. That was Annabella, the second-in-command of the council. Most of the time, any suspicious idea that is brought up in her presence, she disagrees. “What do you mean, Davey..? Are you implying we would let them go? Because if-”

“No.” David abruptly interrupted, surprising Annabella for a moment. “I am not implying that, Anna, I am implying that we will bring the remaining hostages to the bidder’s home. It’s a better solution.” He added sternly. 

“You have mercy?..” Annabella growled.

“I have mercy on my own.. Not for those rebels. I am stating the logical options, not my opinion.” David snapped back. 

Annabella hummed and stepped back. Her lips lifted up into a smirk beneath the mask as she heard the faint countdown to the next kill. There was no point to her expression; she only knew that David would be proven wrong. “It won’t be much of an option after this, hun..” She teased.

David scoffed and held out a hand to speak up when a second gunshot rang out, holding him silent again. There goes his chance to make a point. An opportunity for a change that could’ve gained the chief’s respect. Looking to the small gang of purgers, he noticed that Reginald was the last surviving hostage kneeling. 

“So.. now where’s your bitsy facts now?” Annabella chirped and chuckled devilishly. 

David pursed his lips and took a glimpse back at her. No way he could conjure up a plan in time. The man would be dead by the time he thought of one. Unless.. “Right here.” He muttered and turned to the purger behind Reginald, who was carefully placing the bullet into the pistol’s chamber. 

He lifted his arm into the air and yelled out. “Hold on a minute! Wait!” 

The four purgers looked back at the younger hunter in slight shock and gradually lowered their weapons away from the slouched bodies. David got closer and eventually grasped Reginald’s hood, yanking him up. He knew he choked him by the force, it was accidental. All that produced from the victim was a grunt and a whimper. 

“What are you doing?” The neon purger barked and treaded forward, only to have David pace back. 

“What’re you gonna do?” David muttered protectively and thrusted Reginald behind him. He snatched the barrel of the rifle strapped against his back and tugged on it, giving the assailant a silent threat. “Just listen instead, Gio.. Did this man hurt me?”

‘Gio’ stopped and paused within his words. “Well, um.. I-“

“No. He didn’t. Not scratch from him! Yes, maybe he did speak about the plan with the two girls, but he did nothing physical!” David growled and pointed to the black girl’s lifeless corpse, Sasha, lying in the splotched grass. Her brains were still seeping out of the decent crack and infestations of ants and flies eventually took over the fresh flesh. “And did she do anything? No! Just the one girl, not these two.. now your pathetic little mind decided that it would make perfect sense to place them in orderly fashion, slaughtering one by one.. now, does it make any sense anymore?”

The purger was now surely quiet. Speaking up might’ve resulted in a gunshot to a limb, and a punch. Nothing was certainly better than something in that joint. 

“Good. Do **not** try to stop me. I am going to take this young man to the bidder and if you have anything–a single thing–to say to me, say it now.” David spoke menacingly. Gio vaguely shook his head and lowered his stance, sneaking the pistol back in its holster. 

David inclined and gripped Reginald’s grey jacket vigorously. Both of them refused to glance back at everyone else; out of fear and anger. They solely took the small trip to the truck and prepared for a newer destination. The mortified hostage was, anyways. 

He was thrown inside the back, abandoned there, and had the unnerving noises to accompany him. The motor started and Reginald could feel the tough wheels rock along the disfigured pebbles until the vehicle was on the unpaved path. 

_What was this? Back to the bidder?.. either way, it meant death. Didn’t it? Right..?_

Reginald felt hundreds of thoughts spread throughout his mind. Too many that confused him.. and so many to be answered. He slowly closed his eyes as dizziness overcame him. Then.. darkness.


End file.
